9.21.6

(June 1098)  Kerbogah sends the decrepit Frankish weapons to other Muslim leaders, along with a letter claiming that he has the crusaders in his power. He will defeat them and conquer Christian territory as far as Italy. (This episode and the letter existed only in our author's imagination; the letter is written in particularly awkward Latin, presumably as a reflection of Kerbogah's native language.)

vidēlicet: “namely” or “to wit”; the word functions as a colon, introducing the greeting of Karbuqua’s letter.

Caliphae nostrō apostolicō: “to the Kaliph, our Pope” (see also 9.21.1). Kerbogah is imagined as thinking in Christian terms; the khalif in Baghdad was regarded by the Turks as their spiritual leader.

nostrī rēgī dominō Soldānō mīlitī fortissimō: the sultan was the supreme leader of the Seljuk Turks, at this time Barkiyaruq (Berkiyaruq), the fifth Seljuk sultan (1079/80–1105).

salūs et ... honor: “health and honor” (to the addressees just named); this concludes the greeting.

satis sint laetī: the letter is “quoted” in the 3rd person plural. We understand that Kerbogah is supposed to have written "be quite happy!"

multōsque fīliōs patrāre congaudeant: "Let them rejoice in producing many sons"; CL would be gaudeant.  

praevaleant: CL would be valeant.

quae arma attulērunt super nōs gēns Francigēna: attulerunt is plural, but the subject is gens Francigena, in a constructio ad sensum. super nos in CL would be in nōs.

quoniam: quoniam + indic. or subj. can express indirect statement in ML.

et castrum in meā līberā teneō voluntāte = et castrum in meā līberā voluntāte teneō. castrum here is the citadel of Antioch. The word order is perhaps intentionally foreign sounding.

eō quod minantur nōs suīs armīs prōpulsāre: "because they (the Christians) are threatening to expell us with with their weapons."

ceu: “just as."

omnia deōrum nomina: “The Author always assumes that the Muslims are polytheists” (Hill).

quoniam ante vestram nōn erō reditūrus praesentiam = quoniam ante vestram praesentiam nōn erō reditūrus.  Again, the word order is perhaps intentionally foreign sounding.

sive: CL would be et.

sīve Romāniam atque Bulgāriam usque in Āpūliam: i.e., the Byzantine empire in Asia, the Byzantine empire in the Balkans, and Southern Italy. "The Author, a follower of Bohemond, had probably been born and bred in southern Italy. Hence he makes the conquest of Apulia the supreme vaunt of the Muslim leader” (Hill).